NEW YORK – Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) reported a substantial increase in its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, while reiterating its 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) and revenue growth projections. The financial intelligence platform attributed its strong performance to heightened demand for its credit-ratings services, fueled by the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) data-center development, and consistent growth within its analytics segment.
For the first quarter, Moody's posted earnings of $661 million, or $3.73 per share, marking an increase from $625 million, or $3.46 per share, reported in the same period a year prior. Excluding certain one-time items, the company's adjusted earnings reached $4.33 per share, surpassing the average Wall Street estimate of $4.22 per share, as compiled by FactSet.
Revenue for the quarter rose 8% to $2.08 billion, slightly exceeding the average analyst estimate of $2.07 billion. Moody's Investors Service, the company's credit-ratings arm, generated $1.15 billion in revenue, an 8% increase from the previous year. This growth was largely attributed to the rising issuance of investment-grade bonds, many of which are associated with financing AI infrastructure projects.
The firm's analytics unit also saw an 8% increase in revenue, reaching $926 million. This growth was supported by an increase in recurring revenue, which offset a decline in transactional revenue, reflecting Moody's ongoing transition towards a subscription-based model for its analytics products.
Looking ahead to 2026, Moody's updated its raw earnings forecast to a range of $16 to $16.60 per share, an increase from its previous projection of $15 to $15.60 per share. The New York-based research and ratings firm also reaffirmed its earlier projection for adjusted earnings, maintaining a range between $16.40 and $17 per share. Moody's continues to anticipate its 2026 revenue to experience high single-digit percentage growth compared to its 2025 revenue of $7.72 billion.